Coldplay, “Charlie Brown”

Adele might be the darling of the music industry but these are the Brits and this is Britain! Which means but one thing: Coldplay rules the roost and gets to open the show. But Chris Martin and his band of (somewhat) merry men have ended up drawing the short straw as the assorted masses — both the industry folk concentrating on their meal (English lamb in green herbs on pea puree, with spiced red cabbage, and a little lamb and mint Cornish pasty) and the “real” fans down in front — fail to engage with “Charlie Brown,” the latest cut off Mylo Xyloto. ‘Tis a shame because it’s one of the record’s standout moments and you can usually rely on Coldplay to deliver on the live front. But the performance feels as if it’s a rehearsal, as if nobody bothered to let the audience or band in on a crucial piece of information: THE SHOW HAS STARTED! As the subject of the single would say: Good grief.